Counterpoint
by crystal-gem-jessie
Summary: Keith is a piano player who can handle difficult pieces with ease, but he lacks soul. Lance is a violinist with plenty of chutzpah, but technically? He's a mess. Of course, they hate each other. And of course, they're paired up for their Senior Concert. And of course, they find out that the other doesn't suck quite as much as they first thought.
1. No 1 - Lance

**AN:** The Classical Music/College AU nobody asked for. Enjoy!

* * *

 **MOVEMENT ONE: Rivals**

 **No. 1 - Lance**

Lance didn't want to admit it, but he was good. He was so precise, so accurate; it was almost surgical. He was playing Liszt, creator of some of the most intricate and insane piano pieces of all time. And here was Keith Kogane, playing him nearly perfectly.

His skills were incredible, really they were.

But…

Lance was nodding off. How could watching someone do something so difficult be so boring? Kogane was just so…

Lance looked for the right word.

 _Passionless_ , Lance thought. That was it. Keith Kogane was passionless. Yes, he could destroy any piece of music you handed to him, but why should you care? He didn't seem to. It almost made Lance angry. People would "ooh" and "ah" over him, but what was he doing that a robot couldn't? Where was the _humanity_?

The piece finished and the practice hall erupted into loud applause. Keith nodded to the audience with a tight-lipped smile and quickly shuffled off. A girl with bright red hair took his place at the piano.

* * *

Hunk and Lance filed out of the practice hall with the other music majors. Today was the start-of-the-year assessment for pianists. Garrison University's music department divided students by instrument and had them play a piece of their choosing one right after the other in alphabetical order. These start-of-the-year assessments were meant to give professors a chance to evaluate what each student should work on for the ensuing year. It gave students an incentive to practice over summer break too because all the music majors came to see each other's assessments. It gave everyone a chance to see who they were interested in collaborating with in the future.

"I can't believe he did that," said a flutist to her friend in the same year.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone's hands move like that" the friend responded.

Lance rolled his eyes. People couldn't help but fawn over Keith's assessment. Every. Single. Year. It drove Lance nuts. Yes, he was good, but he was so dull. All he cared about was hitting the right notes.

"I swear if I have to hear about how good that guy's form is one more time…" Lance started.

"Dude, you gotta admit, that was pretty crazy. I mean, he did _Liszt_. And he kinda crushed it" Hunk, a fourth-year cellist and Lance's best friend, said.

"God, not you _too_ , Hunk. Could the entire department stop kissing his butt for like, a minute?" Lance asked.

"Dude-"

"Yeah, okay! He basically doesn't make any mistakes _technically_ , but you can't tell me you don't feel bored out of your mind watching him" Lance continued.

"Lance-"

"He's like a machine! He plays the notes and that's it. There's no heart, no soul. I'm telling you, man, Keith Kogane is a total robot"

" _DUDE!_ " Hunk yelled, surprising Lance.

"What, Hunk?" Lance asked.

"Behind you" Hunk whispered, his brow sweaty.

Lance turned around slowly. To his horror, Keith Kogane was standing right behind him with a menacing glare on his face. Lance felt his stomach sink.

"Oh, Keith, hey-" Lance started, attempting to apologize. He was interrupted by Keith shoving his shoulder into Lance's. Lance put a hand on his shoulder, shocked by the hyper-masculine move. Keith made his way to the exit of the music building but turned around first before coming to the doors.

"Big words coming from someone who couldn't play _Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star_ without missing notes. Sure, you can put on a show, but that's all an act to hide that you're actually talentless" Keith said, venom on his tongue. He left too quickly for Lance to defend himself and Lance felt his chest tighten in anger.

"Whoa, dude, that was mega harsh. You okay?" Hunk asked, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lance said, his chest still tight.

* * *

As Lance walked back with Hunk to their apartment, he was increasingly realizing that he was not, in fact, fine. Keith's precisely-worded insult had hit exactly what he was most self-conscious about. Most of Lance's acquaintances would consider him confident, arrogant even, but he was horribly self-conscious underneath his social mask. Nothing made him more self-conscious than his ability to play the violin. Violin was his life, he dedicated years to it, let his fingers bleed and callous for it. Playing was what made him happiest and he loved making people happy with his music.

He knew he was a sloppy player. He knew he missed notes. He knew he made rookie mistakes. He practiced every day for hours, but he could never make his work neat, not like Keith could with the piano.

 _Keith_ , his mind hissed.

To be called " _talentless_ " by Keith Kogane was devastating. It was like all his worst fears about himself were confirmed.

Then, on top of all that, he felt _guilty_. He never meant for Keith to hear his "total robot" line. He shouldn't have said anything like that anyway. Talking shit about people behind their back wasn't cool and he knew it. It wasn't like Keith had ever done anything to him to really deserve it. Lance groaned.

"You sure you're okay?" Hunk asked as they came up to their apartment building.

"Yeah…that situation just sucked," Lance said, not having enough energy to pretend nothing was wrong. Hunk took out his keys and opened the door.

"Well, maybe you should talk to him," Hunk said as they headed up the stairs.

"Yeah, right. I don't plan on ever talking to that dude again

To make Lance feel better, Hunk made him some of his favorite Snickerdoodle cookies.

"You're the best, Hunk," Lance said as he devoured two cookies at once.

"Heh, I know," Hunk said, taking a bite of his own cookie and a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

"ah mah gah, Hun'! Wha' do you e'en pu' in 'ese?" Lance asked with a full mouth.

"Secret," Hunk said with a smirk, "Hey, so you're meeting with Shiro tomorrow for advising, right?"

Lance swallowed loudly.

"Yeah, he's gonna give me my Senior Concert assignment," Lance said.

"Ah man, I don't have my advising session until next week," Hunk lamented.

"Yeah, if I had to wait any longer, I think I'd go insane"

"You excited to find out what pieces you're assigned?" Hunk asked.

"Ha! Excited doesn't even begin to cover it! I'm gonna practice like crazy and blow all the professors away"

"I know you will, Buddy" Hunk said, offering a fist bump which Lance gladly accepted.

"Alright, well I'm gonna get some practice in. Thanks for the cookies!" Lance said, sitting up from the counter stool and brushing the crumbs from his shirt.

* * *

Practice was Lance's favorite part of the day. He made sure to practice at least two hours every day, and at least four if he didn't have a violin class that day. When Lance practiced, he never had to worry about what other's thought of his playing. He just practiced what he wanted to and held himself to his own standards. It was time for him to relax and enjoy the craft that he loved.

The first half of practice Lance would do something classic like Bach, Vivaldi, or Beethoven. Then, for the second half, he would practice some pop or rock song he'd been listening to recently. He loved taking a song and molding it to the violin. He loved finding sheet music and adjusting it to his tastes. He loved transforming a song with his own bare hands. A part of him ached to do some of his covers at his Senior Concert. He felt with certainty that they were his best work, but he knew Shiro would never go for it.

Lance went into his room, cased violin in hand, and shut the door. He placed his music stand in front of his one window and put the violin case on his bed. He took a song book from his shelf and leafed through the pages. He found a dog-eared page and placed the book on the music stand.

The top of the page read " _Violin Concerto No. 1 – Max Bruch_ ". This was a piece Lance had been working on for years. Hard, but gorgeous and it required a certain amount of exuberance from the solo violinist that fit him well. He barely needed the sheet music anymore.

He turned to the violin case on his bed and opened it. He pulled out his Violin, which was in nearly pristine condition, except for a batch of scribbled blue lines on the back. Lance had made the mistake of leaving it out for five seconds while he babysat his youngest siblings, and baby Carlos, with a blue marker in tow, decided to scribble on the back of Lance's very expensive instrument. He had good humor about it, however, and decided to call the instrument "Blue" from then on.

Lance tuned Blue, then grabbed his bow. He put his chin on the chinrest, closed his eyes, and began to play.

* * *

The next afternoon, Lance headed to the music building with a buzzing nervousness building in him. He couldn't believe his luck in having Takashi Shirogane, _the_ Takashi Shirogane, as his senior advisor. Takashi Shirogane, or "Shiro" as he insisted on being called, was the music department's most popular professor. He was notorious in the music world for being one of its most lamentable tragedies. Shiro was, at one point, the most promising violinist of the generation. A bunch of snooty, old people used to say he was possessed by the divine, but really he was just hopelessly devoted to his instrument. Still, Shiro had it all: form, accuracy, passion, _everything_.

Then, the accident happened. Shiro was driving back home from a concert one night when a drunk driver crashed into him. To say that the crash was nasty would be an understatement. The crash took Shiro's right arm and his dream of being first chair in the New York Philharmonic.

Despite all that, Shiro didn't give up. With the help of donors and fans, he raised enough for the best prosthetics and immediately began practicing again. He was never able to play the way he used to, but he was still a damn good violinist. He practiced constantly and decided to teach at Garrison U. The students adored him and he adored them back. He pushed his students to be better musicians and truly believed in them, even when they didn't believe in themselves. He was a total legend and Lance worshiped the ground he walked on.

When Lance found out Shiro would be his senior advisor, he nearly exploded with excitement. He _knew_ he'd become a better violinist under Shiro.

Lance was nearly skipping as he entered the music building. He climbed the stairs to the advisor offices and nearly tripped over himself in his exuberance.

When Lance found Keith Kogane leaning against the wall next to Shiro's office, he felt as if he had been doused in cold water. The two caught each other's eyes and stared at each other like two alley cats deciding if they should rip each other's fur off or not.

Lance exhaled, then decided to try and apologize. He was in the wrong after all. That didn't make it any easier, however.

"Hey, dude, look I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. That was messed," Lance said.

Keith stared at him blankly for a few beats, then took his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms.

"Hmph," he muttered, "Yeah, it was"

The hallway went silent. Lance thought he'd get a little more than that out of him.

"Um, is that _all_ you have to say?" Lance asked, wanting his own apology

"Sure is"

Lance was ready to tear his own hair out. He clamped his fists.

"God, what are you even doing here right now?!" Lance asked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I have advising with Shiro," Keith said sharply.

"What? When?" Lance asked. Keith rolled his eyes, his mood exacerbated.

"1:30"

" _I_ have advising with Shiro at one 1:30!" Lance said, panic forming in his chest.

"You must have got the time wrong"

"No, I didn't. My appointment is at 1:30 PM on Thursday, _today_. I've been looking forward to this for weeks. I _know_ what time it is"

"Must have got the wrong advisor then," Keith said, his voice starting to raise slightly.

Their argument was then interrupted by the sound of a doorknob turning. Both boys stopped and watched it open. Shiro had just exited his office and sported a bright smile as he laid eyes on the two students.

"Oh, great! You're both here. Come on in!" Shiro said as he waved them into his office. Lance and Keith stared after him and then looked at each other, both too confused to keep the animosity that was building between them previously. They quickly shuffled after Shiro.

Shiro made his way to his desk and asked Keith to shut the door, which the pianist quickly did.

"Please, sit," Shiro said motioning to two chairs in front of his desk as he sat down himself. Lance and Keith obliged him in silence. Lance felt sick to his stomach.

 _What the hell is happening?_ Lance asked himself. Advising sessions were supposed to be one-on-one discussions between advisor and student where they would figure out how to make the student's senior concert as strong as possible. Why in the world should Lance have to share his session with _Keith_?

"I have to confess guys, I've been looking forward to your advising session all week," Shiro said with a smile, "How are you both doing? Excited to be seniors?"

"Uh, yeah," Lance said, too confused to form proper questions about Shiro's odd statement.

"Our advising session? I thought advising sessions were supposed to be private," Keith said, anger rising in his throat.

"Usually, yes, they would be, but you two are a special case!"

"What do you mean?" Lance asked.

"Well, it's unorthodox, but the other professors and I agreed that you two will be performing your senior concert together as a duet," Shiro said, again with a smile.

" _WHAT?!_ " both students exclaimed in unison.

"You want me to duet with this technical mess, Shiro?! What are you thinking?!" Keith asked, his lid fully blown now, as he stood up. Lance, his cheeks hot from embarrassment, shot up out of his chair as well.

" _Mess?!_ Well, that's better than playing like a freaking Dementor!"

"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean!"

"What?! Have you never read Harry Potter?!"

"So, what if I haven't?!"

"Dude, I'm almost sorry for you. For your information, a Dementor is a big scary soul-sucking demon that literally takes happiness away, which is exactly what your playing does to anyone when they hear you!"

"Oh, yeah?! Well, at least I don't-"

"That's enough!" said a firm, demanding voice. Both boys stopped arguing and slowly turned to face Shiro, who had a scarier face than either had ever seen on him. They promptly took their seats.

"You know, I'm surprised at you two. I thought you'd be excited. You're both good musicians, and the only two we've assigned as a duet. I had the impression you'd be honored to work with each other. What I didn't expect was for you to act like children," Shiro said, and Lance's stomach dropped. Had he really just disappointed Shiro, his _freaking_ hero?

"Sorry, Shiro. I just…I don't understand," Lance said as he tried to calm down.

"Then let me help you understand. As I said before, both of you are _good_ musicians, but neither of you are _great_. Both of you lack important skills. Fortunately for you, your partner _has_ those skills. If I could combine you into one person, you'd be the perfect musician," Shiro sighed, "so, we're hoping this assignment will give you a chance to learn from each other"

"That…actually kinda makes sense," Lance concluded. Keith _did_ have skills Lance lacked, and Lance knew it. He was at least happy that Shiro acknowledged him as good of a musician as Keith.

"Glad you think so, Lance," Shiro said, "Keith?"

Keith was crossing his arms and pouting, looking more like a toddler than ever.

"Keith, do I have to remind you that talent agents attend senior concerts?" Shiro asked. Keith bristled like a cat.

"No"

"Then, do you think you're ready to show them your best work? Right now?" Shiro asked. Keith squirmed in his seat.

"No"

"Alright, then. What do you say? Willing to give this a shot?" Shiro asked, finally.

The room was thick with silence for several seconds. Lance felt himself get nervous. He wasn't sure, but Lance thought he actually wanted Keith to agree to the situation. His insides twisted.

Keith sighed.

"Yeah, I'll give it a shot," Keith said and Lance suppressed a smile.

"Great to hear, Keith," Shiro said, smiling. Keith looked away and "Hmph"'d again.

"Shiro?" Lance asked.

"Hm?"

"What, uh, pieces are we performing?" Lance asked, while quickly throwing on a grin. His head had been pounding with the question all morning.

"Great question, Lance. We thought it would be a good learning experience for you if you choose your own set"

"Whoa, really?! Dude, that's awesome!" Lance said, already mulling over song possibilities in his head.

"I thought you'd like that. Now, logistics. I expect you to practice together _at least_ 15 hours a week in the Fall and Winter quarters, and 25 hours a week during the spring quarter with detailed rehearsal logs. Feel free to schedule an appointment with me anytime if you want to talk about anything. Do you both have the syllabus for the course?" Shiro asked and both boys nodded as they shuffled through their bags for the document.

* * *

After Shiro thoroughly explained what was expected of them over the next year, the two boys exited the office and walked down to the music building lobby together.

"So, uh, should we should we exchange phone numbers or something?" Lance asked, still feeling a tension between them.

"Sure, whatever," Keith said and then looked through his smartphone. He got to the _Contacts_ app and handed the phone to Lance. Lance took the phone and put in his information. To try and lighten the mood, he added a winky face emoji next to his contact name.

"There you go, dude!" Lance said with a smile as he returned the phone, trying to be friendly.

"Thanks," Keith said. He looked at his phone, saw the winky-face, and rolled his eyes. He looked back at Lance and Lance gave him a real wink.

"Excited to work with ya, partner!" Lance said.

"Really?" Keith said, the word dripping with skepticism.

"Yeah! What do you say we start fresh and be friends?" Lance asked, stretching out his hands for Keith to shake. Keith considered the hand for a moment.

"Look, I'll do this senior concert with you, or whatever, but that does _not_ make us buddies," Keith said.

Then, he walked away, leaving a stunned Lance with his hand still outstretched.

* * *

 **AN:** Alright, that's Chapter 1 for you! I should probably get back to the three unfinished fics I have, but I had to do something Klance. I'm neck deep in it now.

I have plans for this to be a pretty long multi-chap fic. Fun things to expect: bickering, blushing, mutual pining, misunderstandings, angst, fluff, insecurity, music recs, and lots of your fav boys being dumb.

Like what you've read so far? Want to know what happens next? Comment or review! I have a bad habit of dropping projects if I don't think the fandom is interested, so please let me know if this is up your alley! Thanks for reading!


	2. No 2 - Keith

**AN:** WARNING - this chapter includes blatant homophobia and bullying. The "F" slur is used. Also, it angsty.

* * *

Watching Lance play violin was like reading a good book or watching an enthralling tv show. He was just so damn _animated_. He demanded attention. He took up space and he didn't apologize for it.

 _How do you do that?_ Keith asked himself. Most of the time, Keith tried to disappear, not put attention on himself. How do you put attention on yourself _and_ not annoy everyone around you? How do you become a beacon of light people can't look away from?

That's what Lance was. He played with joy and a smile on his lips. He danced and twirled. He missed notes frequently, but no one cared. They didn't care because they were having _fun_.

Lance was playing on the grass lawn outside of the music building with a small audience of freshman and sophomores. He was playing some modern song and they were all clapping and singing along.

Keith was watching from afar on a bench as he ate his bagged lunch. He had seen that Lance was goofing off with his instrument and decided to watch. He was still hopelessly inaccurate, but he seemed better at contemporary music than classical. Still, Keith couldn't help but be annoyed.

So what if Lance was fun to watch? He couldn't _play_. Keith knew his performances left much to be desired, but he still couldn't believe he was considered to be on the same level as this _show pony_. Keith made a little grunt and took a bite out of his turkey and cheese sandwich.

The music stopped and Keith looked up. Lance had finished his song and spoke to his audience. They were mostly girls and Lance blew kisses towards them. They giggled and one loudly told him to " _stooooop_ ". Keith rolled his eyes.

Keith looked at his watch and remembered he only had 15 minutes before he had to be at work. He quickly finished his lunch and headed to his job as Lance started another song.

* * *

Keith, as part of his work-study, worked at the university library. Work was dull and mostly consisted of scanning in and putting away books, but it was quiet and easy and he liked that. He signed in at the main desk computer and put on his name badge. His boss, Meredith, a heavy-set woman with a kind smile, asked him to help Pidge on the third floor with restacking. Keith agreed and headed up the stairs.

Pidge was a sophomore computer science major and one of Keith's co-workers. She was smarter than anyone he'd ever met, and she didn't ask a lot of stupid questions, so he liked her enough for that.

"Hi Keith," she said when she saw him approaching her and her huge cart of books.

"Hey," he said as he picked up a book and looked for its proper place.

"So, how did your advising session go?" Pidge asked. Keith mentally groaned. Keith was so excited about finding out what Shiro had in mind for his senior concert that he opened up to Pidge about it. So, of course, she wanted to know how it had gone.

"Not...great," he admitted.

"What? Why?" she asked. Keith sighed.

"Instead of doing a solo concert, they want me to do a duet with this violinist, Lance"

"And that's...bad?"

"Well, yeah. I gotta work with this guy who can barely read sheet music, but Shiro said we're both 'good musicians' and we need to 'learn' from each other, but I'm just gonna end up babysitting him and our concert is gonna be crap!" Keith said as he furiously stacked books on shelves.

"Whoa, dude. Calm down. You're gonna damage the books," Pidge said.

"Sorry, I just, ugh! I could do a great set by myself. I don't need that asshole's help," Keith said.

"I dunno, maybe you _can_ learn from him. You want to be a better musician, right?"

"Yeah," Keith said, defeated.

"Then, give this situation a chance. I'm sure your advisors didn't do this just to annoy you"

"Debatable"

"Keith"

"Yeah, yeah. You're right. As usual," Keith said and Pidge grinned.

"And don't you forget it"

They worked in silence for several minutes when a sly smile crept onto Pidge's face.

"So…" she started.

"'So', what?" Keith asked.

"So, is this violinist of your's _cute_?" she asked, her glasses flashing. Keith's cheeks went pink.

"What?! NO! No way, he's a total moron," Keith said, looking away and regretting ever telling Pidge he was gay.

"Moron's can be cute too,"

"Not this one!"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much!"

"Knock it off!"

Pidge snickered and Keith threw an astronomy book at her.

* * *

Keith finished his shift at 8:00 PM and was already dreading setting up an evening rehearsal with Lance. He sighed as he flung his messenger bag over his shoulder. Lance and Keith both had pretty demanding schedules, so finding a time they both could meet was difficult. Late evenings seemed to be the only consistent time they could meet, so they decided to meet from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM every Monday through Friday, then find an extra five hours somewhere in the week. It wasn't perfect (Keith had early classes and he liked his sleep), but it was the best they were gonna get for now.

Keith made his way out of the library. It was a clear, crisp night and the campus was very calm. An end-of-summer breeze flew through the trees, making ruffled noises that gave Keith goosebumps. He started walking north to upper campus when he felt a sharp impact on the back of his head.

"Ow," he said as he put a hand on the back of his head. He looked around and found a black rock near his feet. Keith looked behind himself and his stomach dropped.

"Hey, Fag!" said a stocky, blonde-haired frat boy wearing a Garrison U letterman jacket. Keith felt his spin shiver in fear. The frat boy was Tommy Freemen and he first harassed Keith last June, when Keith dared to put a Pride Flag pin on his messenger bag. Tommy had seen it and promptly started to go after Keith.

Tommy wasn't alone. He had two other football goons with him. They snickered at Keith's dumbfounded face.

"You're not gonna hit on us, are you?" Tommy asked and Keith turned away as the boy started a chorus of "ew"s. He walked quickly towards the music building.

"Aw leaving so soon, pretty boy?" one of the goons asked. Keith ignored them.

"Are you gonna meet your boyfriend?!" Tommy yelled. Keith walked faster.

Keith felt hot anger pool in the bottom of his stomach as he began grinding his teeth. Why couldn't people just leave him _alone_?

* * *

Keith was shaking as he headed into the practice room. He was angry. He was scared. He was humiliated. All he could do was shake. He threw his messenger bag on a nearby chair, roughly took out a song book, and sat at the piano. He practiced some scales for a few minutes but realized Lance was running late and got even angrier.

Five minutes later, Lance came waltzing in like nothing was wrong.

"Hey, dude," Lance said easily as he slipped off his backpack and approached the grand piano. He placed his violin case on it and opened it.

"You're _late_ ," Keith said disdainfully. Lance looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, then checked his own watch.

"Just five minutes," Lance said with a shrug.

"It's not _just_ five minutes. You think a professional philharmonic is gonna keep you around if you're five minutes late to your call?" Keith asked, his voice biting.

"Dude, what's _wrong_?" Lance asked.

"Nothing! I just don't like my time being wasted, that's all"

"Um, sorry man. Won't happen again," Lance said and he pulled out his violin, "So, how you wanna do this?"

"I dunno, I thought maybe we could just try playing some songs and figure out what we need to work on from there," Keith said, still prickly.

"Okay, sounds good. Got anything in mind?" Lance asked. Keith could tell he was trying to be careful around him.

"Do you like Brian Crain?" Keith asked as he flipped through his songbook: a black three-ringed binder with pages of sheet music.

"Oh, yeah! He has a whole album of piano and violin duets," Lance said.

"Yeah, I like _Rain_ ,"

"Well, yeah, that's the _best_ one," Lance said easily as he looked over Keith's shoulder at the sheet music. Keith felt goosebumps on his skin again as he felt Lance's breath hit his ear gently. He wasn't used to people being that close to him.

"Um, yeah let's try it then," Keith said and Lance continued to study the sheet over Keith's shoulder.

"Mm-hm. Doesn't seem to hard. Let's do it," Lance said and he placed his Violin on his shoulder, his bow at the ready.

Keith started playing. Whenever he played, Keith went into a higher state of being. It was like being in hyper-focused meditation. He didn't think of anything else, all he did was play and play _well_. It was the only time in his day where everything just made sense. He was hitting each note with satisfactory precision when Lance came in.

He was off. Keith could hear it and it was messing with his playing. He stopped and turned to Lance. Lance fumbled out of his own playing and looked at Keith with a confused expression.

"What gives?" Lance asked.

"You came in late!"

"Pfft. Barely," Lance said with a wave of his hand.

"'Barely' is too much! We have to start again," Keith said and turned to face the keys. He took a deep breath and began the piece from the beginning.

Keith fell back into the easy trance of playing as he played the intro. He almost forgot Lance was in the room until he came in _too early_. Keith abruptly stopped again and turned to face Lance with fury in his eyes.

"You were _early_ ," Keith said and Lance looked at him like he was an alien.

"Dude, we're never gonna get any practice in unless you let me get past the first bar," Lance said, getting frustrated.

"No. You need to actually take the time to make sure you're hitting the notes correctly. This is why your playing is all over the place. You only do what's _fun_. You have to go over a piece of music repeatedly until you _know_ the notes. _That's_ why I'm stopping you. You have to get it _right_. You have to take this seriously," Keith said, anger boiling over him.

"I only do what's _fun_? Screw you, man. I practice every day, just like you do. My mom got me a violin when I was six and I've played every day since then. Yeah, I like to have fun because playing _is_ fun, but don't tell me I don't take this seriously. I do! Maybe if you had some fun while you were playing, watching you wouldn't be such a snooze fest," Lance said. Keith stared at him.

He remembered how Lance played on the lawn earlier that day, flirting with girls without a care in the world. He imagined a small Lance playing a small violin for a smiling mother that loved him. A new wave of anger hit him. Why did he have to take this kind of shit from a no-talent asshole with a family?

"Screw this," Keith said. He quickly grabbed his things and stormed from the practice room. He walked as fast as he could away from Lance without actually running. He shoved the lobby door open and entered the cool night air. Crickets were chirping and the wind was still rustling through the trees, but that was all drowned out by the sound of his heart beating against his chest.

He was upset. Why was he so upset? Was it really because Lance was off? As Keith walked through the fresh air of the night, he began to calm down and realized he'd taken out a little too much anger out on Lance. He was still upset about Tommy and he took it out on his Senior Concert partner.

Keith sighed as a wave of guilt hit him. It didn't help that Lance seemed to have everything he didn't. Keith was always a lone wolf. His mother died due to complications in his birth and he entered the foster care system at seven-years-old after his father died of cancer. His father introduced him to the piano when he was four and it was his dying request to the state that his son be allowed to continue his lessons. His foster parents were always kind enough to get him to his lessons every week, especially when it became increasingly clear that his skill made him eligible for scholarships.

Keith depended on that scholarship dream. He wanted to get out of the system, get into college, live on his own, and eventually, become a soloist that traveled the world. Alone. He didn't get people. He couldn't get close to people. Once his dad died, socializing was over for him. So, he wanted to live his life as a ghost, traveling from country to country as he played piano for a sea of faces. The Piano was his only friend and it was best that way.

Sometimes he did wish he could just be silly with the other kids his age like Lance did. He wished he could get a boyfriend and go on dates, but he just couldn't interact well with people. He was always awkward, or volatile, or just weird and it was best if he just kept to himself.

When Keith was accepted to Garrison U with a full scholarship he was ecstatic. He was one step closer to his dream. He wasn't going to squander his time there. He practiced constantly and quickly became the top pianist in the music department, but all his teachers kept giving him the same note about a "cold" performance. He wasn't some exuberant person, like Lance. He just wanted to play. He didn't want to "perform".

Which is why everything about Lance made him angry. He so easily interacted with others and he effortlessly wowed everyone with his passionate playing. It wasn't fair. That kind of performing...you can't learn it.

 _It's not his fault_ , Keith thought as he finally reached his dorm. Another wave of guilt hit him. He was jealous of Lance and he knew it.

Keith remembered the cruel words he had said to Lance and shivered. He shivered again when he remembered Lance's sharp response. Keith sighed as he unlocked the door to his room.

He belly-flopped onto his bed and let out a frustrated groan.

 _This is why I'm better off alone_ , he thought and fell asleep with the resolve to talk to Shiro in the morning.

* * *

The next day, Keith stood in front of Shiro's office door with a huge weight on his chest. Shiro was not going to be happy with what Keith had to tell him, and he very much dreaded it. Keith scratched the back of his head and took a deep breath in. He exhaled and let his hand fall.

"Okay," he said quietly to himself and knocked on the door.

Keith heard some shuffling through the door and then a muffled, "Come in!"

Keith obliged the voice and opened the office door tentatively. From his desk, Shiro smiled at him through square-rimmed reading glasses. A scattered mess of papers told Keith that he must have interrupted Shiro from grading papers on musical theory.

"Hey, Keith. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Um, well, I was hoping we could talk?"

"Of course, have a seat"

Keith pulled out the padded chair in front of Shiro's desk and sat down. He took off his messenger bag and leaned it against his chair. He moved his hands to the tops of his legs and rubbed them back-and-forth, anxious to do something with his hands. Shiro noticed.

"Something wrong, Keith?" Shiro asked.

"No, no. I just...I wanted to talk to you about my Senior Concert," Keith said, biting his lip.

"Okay," Shiro said, careful attention in his eyes. Keith took a breath and decided it would be best to get it out quickly.

"I think you should let me do my Senior Concert solo," Keith said directly. Shiro blinked and leaned back in his chair.

"Why?" he asked.

"I don't think it's a good idea. I work better on my own and Lance hates me," Keith confessed.

"Whoa, okay. Let's unpack that a little, shall we? So, first: Lance hates you? I'm pretty sure Lance doesn't hate anyone," Shiro said.

"Yeah, well, if you tell someone they suck at something they love enough, they'll hate you," Keith said as the sheer force of his guilt made him look away from Shiro and at his hands.

"Oh, Keith…" Shiro said and his disappointment was palpable.

"I know," Keith said.

"Is that how you really feel? Do you really think Lance 'sucks'? Honestly?" Shiro asked and something in his tone demanded that Keith look at him. His face wasn't as judgmental as Keith figured it would be. It was gentle and concerned. In front of such a face, all Keith could do was tell the truth.

"No. I don't think that. I just...I hate how he's so good at something I can't do, yet he can't do something that he could easily do if he just _practiced_ ," Keith said, surprised at his own words.

"Well, have you considered that maybe he practices just as much as you do, just in a different way?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think his...performance abilities are something you can practice. It's just who he _is_ "

"I'd have to disagree with you there, Keith. You want to know what I think Lance's strength is?" Shiro asked and Keith nodded, "I think it's his ability to let himself be seen _through_ his playing. To let yourself be open and vulnerable to an audience is _hard_ and it requires hours and hours of practice, just like your pin-point accuracy. It just seems easy and intrinsic to Lance's God-given skill set _because_ he's worked so hard at it. And here's the thing, Keith, you're right. You will never be able to play like Lance. Only Lance can play like Lance. What I want Lance to help you with is to make _you_ play like _you_. When you play, all I hear is the music. I don't see you and I don't see what the music means to you"

"That might seem materialistic, but it's half of a moving performance. Keith, musicians are artists and art is rarely emotionless or perfect, even. Audiences are much more willing to forgive a dropped note than they are a performance without feeling. It's essential you tap into this skill and Lance is a master at it, just like you're a master at accuracy. You both need to respect each other's abilities if you're going to learn from each other" Shiro finished. Keith was overwhelmed with the speech, but it was clarifying. _Of course,_ Lance's ability to connect with the music and audience was a hard-earned skill.

"But...I dunno, I still think it's better if I work alone," Keith said, now regretting that he probably ruined things forever with Lance.

"Keith, you can't learn this alone and I know you _want_ to learn," Shiro said, his expression still kind and understanding.

"I _do_ , but...Lance probably never wants to see my face again," Keith said, looking back down at his hands.

"Hey, you know what I've noticed?" Shiro asked.

"What?"

"Lance isn't in this room asking if he can get a different assignment," Shiro said with a smirk. Keith looked at him with wide eyes.

"He didn't...e-mail you or anything?" Keith asked, hope bubbling in his chest.

"Nope"

"Oh"

"And you know what else? I bet, if you apologize, he'll forgive you. If you're lucky, you might even become friends," Shiro said with a smile. At that, Keith laughed.

"Don't get your hopes up"

"What can I say? I'm an optimist"

"Whatever you say," Keith said, then turning serious, "Thanks, Shiro"

"Of course, Keith. Anytime," Shiro said.

Keith grabbed his bag, said goodbye to Shiro, and left the office.

Then, with a new-found hope, he started texting Lance an apology.

* * *

 **AN:** Yay! Chapter 2! I'm sorry this was so angsty, but Keith is angsty and has some things to work out. This particular arc has a good deal of angst to it, but once dem bois are officially friends, we'll get into the fluffy pining arc, I promise!

You can hear "Rain" by Brian Crain on Spotify. If you're curious what song Lance was playing on the lawn – It's "Starboy" by The Weeknd. One of his favs :)

Thanks for the kudos and comments, y'all! Let me know how you're feelin' in the comments ;)

Next up: Lance hates Keith, but not really


	3. No 3 - Lance

**AN:** This chapter is significantly less angsty than the last one, so please enjoy!

* * *

 **MOVEMENT ONE: Rivals**

 **No. 2 - Lance**

"I mean, can you _BELIEVE_ that guy?! He's a total jerk and I hate him!" Lance said as he paced the length of his kitchen floor. Hunk watched from the barstool seated at the kitchen counter while sipping on a just-made banana smoothie.

"You don't _hate_ him," Hunk said with reproach.

"Okay, _fine_ ," Lance said with a dramatic eye roll, "I don't hate him, I just think he's a _total jerk_. Is that okay with you?"

Hunk considered him a moment.

"I'll allow it"

"Gee, _thanks_ ," Lance said with heavy sarcasm.

"Dude, don't get me wrong, I agree with you, but I am trying to enjoy my breakfast and you've been talking about Keith non-stop," Hunk said, taking another sip.

"Yeah, because he's a _total jerk_ , Hunk," Lance said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, yes. Definitely. But, he's your partner and you gotta work something out with him,"

"How? He's made it very clear that he thinks I'm not good enough to work with," Lance said, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"I don't think that's true," Hunk said as he took a huge bite out of his cream-cheese-covered bagel.

"Did you completely miss the part where he told me I 'only do what's fun'?" Lance asked, mocking Keith's words.

"Yes, _but_ I think he was just doing what Shiro told him to do. Shiro wants you to learn from each other, right? So, maybe his correcting you one bar in is like, his way of doing that?"

"So…what? You think I'm in the wrong here?" Lance asked.

"I mean, no. He shouldn't talk to you like that, but maybe someone being on your ass will help with your precision," Hunk said. Lance fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Maybe"

"I mean, the professors _have_ always been on you for your precision. Having some breathing down your neck would probably be good for you," Hunk said. Lance grumbled to himself. He knew Hunk had a point.

"Yeah, I guess"

"When you rehearse tonight and he stops you, just like, listen to him," Hunk suggested.

"If there _is_ a rehearsal tonight. Pretty sure he never wants to see me or Blue ever again-"

Lance was interrupted by his text tone (R2-D2 beeps) going off.

"One sec," Lance said as he pulled his phone from his pocket. His eyes widened as he saw that it was from Keith.

* * *

 **10:07 AM - Keith Kogane**

 _Hey its Keith. Sorry about last night. Still good for practice tonight?_

* * *

"That's it?!" Lance said, slapping his palm against his forehead.

"What?" Hunk asked. Lance showed him his phone.

"He makes it sound like he just canceled plans on me!"

"Dude, I'm pretty sure an apology from Keith Kogane is like a unicorn, so I wouldn't complain too much," Hunk said, now finishing his bagel.

"Ain't that the truth," Lance grumbled and replied to Keith with a simple "yep".

* * *

For that night's rehearsal, Lance made sure to arrive early. Well, on time. Okay, he was five minutes late again. But he tried.

"Sorry, sorry! I took a nap and slept through my alarm!" he said as he busted into the practice room, his hair softly tousled as evidence.

Keith stared at him from the black grand piano and Lance stared back. Keith moved his gaze to the floor. Lance palmed the back of his neck.

"Um, sorry about being late. Again. I'll work on it," Lance said.

"It's okay. I kinda thought you weren't coming…" Keith said and Lance got the distinct impression he was embarrassed.

"I wouldn't leave ya hanging"

"Yeah"

"Cool"

A silence stretched between them.

"So, you wanna practice?" Lance asked.

"Y-yeah. Is the song we were working on before okay?" Keith asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," Lance said. He pulled out Blue, quickly tuned her, and took his position behind Keith's seat.

Keith began to play and Lance paid careful attention to each note. He didn't want to keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

When it was time for Lance to come in, he over-anticipated it and came in early.

"Lance…" Keith said, stopping.

"I know, I know. Go again"

Keith started again and this time, Lance came in at the right time, but two notes later…

"Late," Keith said.

"Fuck, okay"

They started again. Lance messed up. Keith stopped him. They started again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

It took a long time, but it started working. Slowly, Keith was stopping Lance further and further into the song.

At 10:00 PM Keith stopped Lance once more.

"Shit, I almost had it," Lance said, letting his violin fall from his shoulder. Keith snorted.

"No, you didn't"

"Hey, man, give me break! I got like ten bars in without fucking up anything. That's a record for me"

"Jesus"

"Don't act like you're not impressed," Lance said with a sly look.

"'Impressed' isn't quite the right word," Keith started and then sighed, "but you definitely made some strides"

"Really?!"

"Like, little ones. Realllllly little ones"

"Why you gotta drag me like this?" Lance asked. Keith rolled his eyes.

"But you get it, right? This is how you have to practice"

"What do you mean?" Lance asked.

"Like...you start building like we've been doing. As soon as you're off, you start all over again. That way, you drill the notes into your head. It'll take forever, but accuracy takes time. And it's not that _you_ can't be accurate, it's just that you won't. So, I dunno, just do it," Keith explained, his voice excited and his eyes bright.

Lance stared at him. Had Lance ever heard him speak so lovingly about the work? No, but it was nice. It was the first time Lance felt like Keith was _human_. He smiled.

"Not the worst advice, I guess," He said. Keith rolled his eyes again, then looked at the clock on the wall.

"We still have thirty minutes left of practice. I guess we should just pick up where we-"

"Oooooh no, no, no. We worked on _my_ stuff, now it's time to work on _your_ stuff," Lance said, defiantly.

"What?! No!" Keith protested.

"What?! Yes!" Lance said as he placed Blue in her case and began rummaging through his bag for some sheet music. He dramatically turned to Keith and held up the pages.

"Oh God, what is that?" Keith asked, full of dread. Lance came to the piano and placed the pages on its shelf.

"This, my friend, is a _fun_ song that we are going to play for the _fun_ of it," Lance said. Keith picked up the pages and examined them.

" _Shape of You?_ " Keith asked.

"By Ed Sheeran?"

"Who?"

"Jesus Christ, remind me again, where _exactly_ is the rock you live underneath?" Lance asked as he rolled his eyes.

"I don't really listen to contemporary music," Keith admitted.

"How do you even live?" Lance asked. Keith ignored him and investigated the sheet music further.

"It's pretty simple"

The goal is _fun_ , not fast-finger work," Lance said as he pulled out his phone, "here's the original"

Lance played the song. He bobbed his head to the beat and sang along under his breath. Keith listened intently and studied the sheet music as he did.

"Did you arrange this?" Keith asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I kinda made it up the day I found out we were gonna be partners. You play the background and I play the melodic line," Lance said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, that's...cool," Keith said, looking down at the sheet music again. The song ended and Lance put his phone back in his pocket.

"Thanks. What do you think? You like it?" Lance asked.

"I mean, he's no Chopin, but yeah, it's _fun_ "

"Sweet, let's give it a try!" Lance said as he grabbed his instrument.

"Alright," Keith said as he got in perfect posture.

"Okay, ground rules first. Loosen the _hell_ up. We're playing to have fun, so just throw the rules out the window, okay? You don't need perfect posture. You don't need to do it perfectly. Heck, if you want to improvise, go for it. Do whatever you want, as long as it's fun. Got it?" Lance asked. Keith looked like he was going to be sick.

"How is this supposed to help me, exactly?" Keith asked.

"Well, hopefully, it'll help you look like you _like_ playing piano"

"I do like playing piano!"

"You'd never know it with the sour face you always put on," Lance explained. Keith opened his mouth to say something but then decided to shut it.

"Fine, let's just do it"

"One more rule," Lance said with a devilish grin.

"Ugh, what?" Keith asked.

"Absolutely no stopping or complaining. We go to the end and die like men"

"Whatever you say"

Lance watched Keith take a deep breath in and took his cue to start. Lance let the song take over: he closed his eyes, he moved his body to the rhythm, and sang along under his breath. It was like sitting down after a hard day's work on your feet. Covers made him feel most like himself. The music just flowed from him and it made him feel light. Except…

Keith. Lance snuck a glance at him. Of course, he was playing perfectly, but he looked like a teenager working at a shitty retail store. Lance made an annoyed face, but then had a stroke of inspiration. He moved in front of the piano, in Keith's line of sight, and began to dance as he played.

Keith looked up briefly and then went right back to the sheet music.

 _Time to up my game_ , Lance thought. He began singing loudly along.

" _GIRL, YOU KNOW I WANT YOUR LOVE, YOUR LOVE WAS HANDMADE FOR SOMEBODY LIKE ME,_ " he sang as he played and danced. Keith looked up again with a sour expression. He went back to the sheet music.

And it became a game. How could Lance get Keith to laugh while he was playing? He kept up the singing and dancing, but then started inching closer to Keith. Keith eyed him, but adamantly stuck to the sheet music.

Lance then sat down right next to Keith but facing the opposite direction. As Lance played, his elbow, going back-and-forth with the music, started hitting Keith's shoulder.

" _Stop_ ," Keith hissed, still looking at the sheet music. Lance decided to bring out the big guns. He was going to make Keith Kogane laugh if it killed him. He adjusted his violin so his elbow no longer banged up against him.

Lance leaned in very close to Keith, his lips almost touching Keith's ear, and began whisper-singing the line " _I'm in love with the shape of you, we push and pull like a magnet do, although my heart is falling too, I'm in love with your body_ "

The effect was instantaneous. Keith went red right up to his ears and shoved Lance away, forgetting his playing altogether.

And then, he laughed.

"Man, what the hell are you even doing?" Keith asked, his hand brought up to his forehead underneath his bangs and the other on his stomach as he laughed. His smile was sweet and humble and bright.

And Lance's heart skipped a beat. He'd never seen Keith like that. It was...nice.

"Play! Play right now!" Lance said, quickly moving away from him. Keith obliged as he picked up right where they left off.

He was still pretty mechanical, but it was definitely a start.

"We'll work on it," Lance said once the song was finished.

"That bad, huh?" Keith asked.

"Only as bad as my accuracy"

"Yikes," Keith said and Lance jabbed his stomach with his bow.

"Naw, you'll get it, just like, remember why you love this more, y'know? Music is joyful, so let it be joyful," Lance said as he packed away his instrument.

"Yeah"

"Well, I'm off. See you tomorrow?" Lance asked, heading out the door.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Keith said. Lance nodded with a smiled and began opening the door, "Hey, Lance?"

Lance pivoted to face Keith, still seated at the piano.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Um, just wanted to say 'thanks', for y'know, stuff," Keith said as he forced himself to look at Lance directly. A small smile formed on his lips.

Lance felt the familiar sensation of his heart skipping a beat again.

"Oh, uh, no problem, dude. See ya!" Lance said and darted out the door.

 _What_ , he thought, _was that?_

* * *

 **AN:** Chapter 3! This one's shorter than the others, but I anticipate chapter 4 being a biggie.

Writing this really makes me wanna take music lessons.

So, I've been doing a crazy amount of research on popular songs that would work well as a violin/piano duet, but it's so haaaard. I actually did find a cover for Shape of You on Youtube tho. If you know of songs that would work well pleaaaaaaase let me know. I'm basically guessing over here!

Thank you so much for reading! As always, please leave a lil' bit of feedback to help my motivation! I always really appreciate it. 3

Next Chapter: your boys get a lil' closer, more angst, and Protective!Lance ;)


	4. No 4 - Keith

**AN:** Trigger warning for homophobia, the "f" slur, and mild, non-graphic violence. All are very brief.

* * *

 **MOVEMENT ONE: Rivals**

 **No. 04 – Keith**

The final weeks of summer faded into a crisp and colorful autumn at Garrison University. Students traded their shorts and sunglasses for jeans and scarves. Halloween and midterms came and went peacefully. Keith and Lance kept up their weekly practices and Keith was quietly impressed by the change he was beginning to see in his partner. Lance had taken Keith's advice far more seriously than Keith expected him to and, as a result, Lance's accuracy had vastly improved.

"You were late, McClain," Keith said with a dejected look as he sat at the piano. Lance scowled down at him, bow and violin in hand.

"We were like, _five seconds_ away from finishing the song! You couldn't nitpick my playing _after_?!" Lance asked, his voice rising. Lance often rose his voice at Keith, and Keith at Lance, but much, if not all, of the contempt was gone from their tones.

"No way. You can finish a song as soon as you get it _perfect_ like I've told you 100-freaking-times," Keith responded.

"Ugh, this 'method' of yours is giving me serious music blue balls," Lance complained as he picked up the sheet music on the piano's shelf, leaning over Keith to get it. Keith's face turned slightly pink at Lance's vulgar analogy and sudden closeness. Lance casually looked over the sheet, looking for his mistake.

"Oh, hey, have you had your mid-quarter advising with Shiro, yet?" Lance asked.

"I thought we were doing that together,"

"Oh, we are, but Shiro told me in class that he wanted to have meeting with us one-on-one and together. He said he was gonna e-mail you about it," Lance said.

"He might have, I'm pretty bad with checking e-mails," Keith confessed. Lance rolled his eyes.

"Of course, you are, you grandpa," Lance mocked, "Anyway, I already had my one-on-one with him and he told me we should really start finalizing our music selections soon"

"Did he give you any suggestions?" Keith asked. In truth, Keith wasn't fond of the idea of choosing his own music. He'd much rather just be given the assignment.

"Nah, he just said that we need to make sure we're showcasing both of our strengths, that kinda thing," Lance said easily, placing the sheet music back on the piano shelf.

"That's...obvious," Keith said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he wracked his brain for possible songs.

"Hey, I've got a great idea!"

"What?" Keith asked, highly skeptical.

"Let's do one of my arrangements!" Lance said.

"You want to do a _cover_?" Keith asked.

"Yeah! They show me off best!" Lance said.

That, at least, was true. Keith knew Lance was best when he was playing some frivolous pop cover, but he wasn't ready to put it into his Senior Concert.

"No," he said simply.

"Aww, c'mon Keith! What if it was a Nicki Minaj song?"

"No"

"Okay, how about Ariana Grande?"

"No"

"Bruno Mars?"

"Hm, Maybe"

"Really?!" Lance asked.

"No," Keith answered and Lance slumped.

"Cold, dude. Ice cold," Lance said. He seemed legitimately disappointed and for whatever reason, seeing Lance down annoyed Keith. He sighed.

"We can talk to Shiro about it. If he thinks it's a good idea, I'll _consider_ it," Keith said, and he felt his cheeks get warm.

"Whoa, really?! You mean it?!" Lance asked with a bright smile and Keith's cheeks got warmer.

"Y-yeah, but no promises!"

"Good enough for me!" Lance said, his aura decidedly cheery. He took out his phone from his pocket with a smile, "Oh, hey ready to head out?"

Keith looked over at the clock hanging high on one of the walls.

"Oh, wow. It's already 10:30" Keith said.

"So, this is our last rehearsal until December, right?" Lance asked.

"Wait, what?" Keith asked, confused. Lance stared at him with his head slightly tilted, also confused.

"Dude, Thanksgiving vacation starts tomorrow," Lance said.

Keith hadn't forgotten, he just forgot that Lance probably had a family to go back to during the break.

"Oh, yeah, um...yeah first Monday in December sounds good," Keith said as a small wound in his chest opened up. Keith wasn't a big fan of holidays. Lance started putting his things away, blissfully unaware.

"Ah, dude, I can't wait for break. I'm going to Hunk's place for Thanksgiving and Hunk's mom is an even a better cook than he is, which I never thought was possible, but holy cheese dude, her _Lasagna_ ," Lance said happily. Keith put away his sheet music and slung his backpack over both shoulders, "Ugh, I gotta find a new roommate soon though, my other one just moved out-"

"You're going to Hunk's place? You're not going home?" Keith asked.

"Well, home's Cuba and I'm not exactly rolling in the dough, so I can't go back every time we're on break," Lance said, his cheery aura depleting slightly.

"Oh, sorry," Keith said.

"'S'no big deal. It's not like we celebrate Thanksgiving there anyway. I always go back for Winter and Summer break though!" Lance said with a smile. With that, they headed out the practice room and out the music building.

"Do you have siblings?" Keith asked.

"Pfft, yeah. I'm the youngest of six, not including my in-laws," Lance said.

"Whoa, you have five brothers and sisters?!" Keith asked.

"Yup! Three sisters and two brothers. My oldest sister has two kids too, so Christmas is a madhouse," Lance said, wrapping his scarf around him tighter. Keith thought his eyes looked duller than usual, "but it's really fun when we're all there"

"You miss 'em, huh?" Keith asked, not sure why he was so curious. Normally, Keith stayed very far away from the subject of family, but something about Lance's didn't make him feel that way.

Lance sighed.

"That obvious?"

"You're kind of an open book," Keith said. Lance looked at him and let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, I've gotten that before," Lance said, his eyes now downcast, "Yeah, I miss them a lot. I feel like I'm missing my niece and nephew grow up, which sucks"

"Yeah…" Keith said, not knowing how to respond. They walked in silence across campus for several moments before Lance spoke again.

"Oh, yeah, what are you doing over break?" Lance asked. Keith felt his insides freeze. He really didn't want to talk about himself.

"Nothing...worth mentioning," he said, not looking at Lance.

"Are you going to visit family?"

"No"

"Going to a friend's?"

"No"

"Then, what are you doing?"

"Lance, just drop it," Keith said as began to get irritated.

"Wait, are you going to be by your-"

"I said _drop it_ , Lance" Keith snapped. Lance looked at him confused, and maybe even slightly hurt. Keith couldn't remember when, but at some point, both of them had stopped walking. Keith grimaced and began walking again, but was stopped by Lance's hand around his arm.

"Keith-" Lance started but was interrupted by a voice in the night.

"Kogane!" said the voice. Lance and Keith both looked in the direction that it came from.

Keith's stomached dropped as Tommy Freemen strode through the quad right towards them wearing a big shit-eating grin.

"Tommy, not right now," Keith said through clenched teeth. Tommy's grin only grew.

"Oh, I'm sorry, _Princess_. Was I interrupting your date?" Tommy said. Lance and Keith looked down at Lance's hand, which was still tightly holding Keith's arm. They quickly separated.

"Dude, do you have a problem?" Lance asked, his voice in a tone Keith had never heard before.

"Yeah, I got a problem. I got a problem with _fags_ ," Tommy said and Keith's blood boiled. He launched at Tommy, but Lance held him back by pressing against his chest.

"Whoa, dude calm down," Lance whispered, but Keith could see the anger in Lance's eyes. Tommy leered at them.

"Yeah, Princess, you should listen to pretty boy over here, before he leaves you just like your family. Say, Princess, did they disown you after they found out how you like to suck co-"

 _ **THWAMP!**_

Tommy was promptly interrupted by Lance's fist hitting him square in the jaw. The force and surprise of the punch sent Tommy back and onto the ground. He moaned and clenched his jaw.

Lance, his eyes full of panic, turned to Keith, grabbed his hand, and began running. Keith obediently followed and ran with him. Behind him, Keith could hear Tommy yelling slurs and threats at them. Lance picked up his speed.

Keith looked behind himself and saw Tommy on their tail.

"Lance! He's behind us!" Keith said. Lance looked back and widened his eyes. He then looked around him and began pulling Keith in a different direction.

"This way! Hurry!" Lance said as he pulled Keith towards the Liberal Arts buildings.

"I'm gonna kill you!" said a voice behind them and Lance upped his speed again. Keith was thankful he was able to keep pace.

Lance made a sharp turn between two buildings. Keith could hear Tommy's footsteps behind him and his pulse in his ears.

Lance made another sharp turn, and another, and another. Finally, Lance led them to a tight section between two buildings. It was so tight, that it barely fit them both. Lance had to put his hands on either side of Keith against the wall. Lance's attention was outside of the spot listening for signs of Tommy. Lance was so close that Keith could feel Lance's heavy breathing on his forehead. He could see the details in his chin and lips, and for just a moment, Keith forgot they were running away from a violent homophobe and his heart was racing for a whole other reason.

"I think...I think we're safe," Lance whispered. It was a low, husky sound and it only served to make Keith's heart race faster.

"Lance…" Keith said, not knowing what else to say.

"Hey, wait, let's go in this building for a little while. I don't want us bumping into him if we leave now," Lance said, pointing to a door visible from their spot. They rushed over to the classroom. Lance tested the door and breathed a sigh of relief when it opened. Keith ran in and Lance quickly followed, closing the door quietly.

The classroom was dark and only lit by the fluorescent lights shining from the quad through the classroom windows. For several seconds, neither of the boys said anything as they both caught their breath. Eventually, Keith looked at Lance and Lance looked back. Keith stepped towards him and grabbed his right hand.

"What are you-" Lance started. Keith adjusted Lance's hand so his knuckles were easily visible. Lance's hand was hot over his and softer than Keith imagined it would be. Keith brought out his phone and turned on its light. He brought it close to Lance's knuckles and examined them. His knuckles were angry and red from the punch. They would certainly bruise tomorrow.

"Your hand…" Keith said, his voice lower than he meant it to be. Keith's emotions were finally catching up to him. Lance had sacrificed the safety of his _hands_ for Keith. Guilt washed over him.

Gently, Lance took his hand back.

"It's okay, it's just my bow hand. It'll heal soon and I'll ice it tonight," Lance said, and for some reason, he sounded embarrassed.

"You didn't have to do that," Keith said.

"Yeah, well, 'if we don't look out for each other, then who will', y'know?"

"What do you mean?" Keith asked. Lance scratched the back of his head with his uninjured hand.

"Oh, I'm Bi," Lance said.

"You _are_?" Keith asked, this news oddly pleasing to him.

"Yeah"

"That's...cool," Keith said. Lance shrugged and found a nearby desk to sit on, his long legs dangling off of it.

"So, dude, who _was_ that guy?" Lance asked and Keith groaned.

"He's this total tool who lives in my hall at the dorms. Long story short: I wore a pride pin in June, he saw it, and he's been harassing me ever since"

"He lives in your _hall_?" Lance asked.

"Yeah"

"Keith, you can't go back there tonight! He'll kill you!" Lance said, standing up.

"I'll be fine. I mean, I gotta just deal with it. I live there," Keith said.

"Shit, man. Maybe we should report him," Lance said.

"For what? _You_ assaulted him, remember?"

"Aw, man! I totally did!" Lance said, panic rising in him.

"Look, Lance, I'll figure it out"

"At least spend the night at my place. That dude's an old school homophobe. You're not safe there," Lance said, and the sincerity in his bright blue eyes convinced Keith.

"F-fine, I guess," Keith said.

Lance looked noticeably relieved. He made his way to the door, opened it, and stuck his head out.

"I think the coast is clear. You ready to go?" Lance asked.

"Yeah"

* * *

For most of the walk to Lance's apartment, they remained silent. Keith was still trying to process the events of the night and he had no real inclination to start up a conversation. Being quiet this long was odd for Lance, however. Keith dared a quick glance at him and thought he looked lost in thought.

"Hey, Keith?"

"Hm?"

"You don't have any plans for break, right?" Lance asked. Keith sighed and was too grateful to Lance to be too irritated by the question.

"No, I don't have plans"

"Oh," Lance said, then went silent for several moments, "Y'know, you should come with me to Hunk's house. Hunk's an only child, so it'll just be us and his parents. They're really nice, so I know they won't mind having an extra person. Actually, I think they'd be ecstatic. They love feeding people"

"I...I dunno," Keith said.

"Yeah, but why not? What's stopping you?"

"I-! Well…"

"See? You can't even think of anything!"

"Ugh! Fine, I'll go if you'll shut up about it," Keith said. Lance raised his hands in surrender.

"Shutting up," Lance said. He then gasped and pulled out his phone.

"What's wrong?" Keith asked, alarmed.

"Nothing, I just forgot to tell Hunk you're coming over," Lance said, typing away. Keith felt another wave of guilt pass through him as he once again felt like an inconvenience. He always seemed to be the stray cat showing up on people's door step.

"He's not gonna mind?" Keith asked.

"Hunk? Naw, he's probably gonna have brownies ready for us by the time we get back and then thank us for giving him the opportunity to bake them," Lance said easily as he continued to type furiously.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, dude. No worries. We have people stay over all the time. Like, Hunk keeps a bunch of extra toothbrushes in our bathroom for guests. You can borrow a shirt of mine to sleep in if you want"

"Um, okay," Keith said, shifting nervously.

"It's fine dude, seriously," Lance said, giving Keith a solid pat on the shoulder. Keith smirked.

"Hunk's the guy you're always with, right? The cellist?"

"Yeah! He's my best friend"

"He's...good. I saw his assessment," Keith said, remembering the big man passionately playing his cello with a big grin.

"Right?! He's awesome. We play together all the time and we have friends come over and just have jam seshes," Lance said, smiling again.

"Sounds fun"

"Yeah, it is," Lance said, his attention now fully engrossed in his phone. Keith wondered if he was typing a novel to Hunk.

"This is it," Lance said, gesturing to an old brownstone building that had windows decorated with a spattering of flags, fairy lights, and laundry. Keith assumed it was an apartment filled with other Garrison students. Lance led the way up the stoop and up the stairs to the third floor.

Lance's apartment was in the corner of the dimly lit hall which was adorned with a plush, but warn carpet and faded blue wallpaper. Keith briefly thought there was something very comforting about how lived-in the building felt. Lance took a keychain out of his coat pocket and opened the door.

"Huuuuuunky! We're hooooooooome!" Lance announced in a surprisingly well-done Ricky Ricardo impression.

"Hey, dudes!" Hunk said from the kitchen. A wonderful smell wafted through the air and hit Keith's nostrils.

"Wait, is he _actually_ making brownies?" Keith asked.

"Excuse you, they're blondies!" Hunk shouted.

"Aw, sweet!" Lance threw his messenger bag to the side of the entrance of the apartment and ran into the kitchen. Keith held back a second to take in the apartment. The living room was spacious, but cramped with various pieces of furniture. A tattered, navy blue couch stood in the middle of the room on top of a carpet that laid on top of scuffed hardwood floors. There were succulents in the windows and random posters on the walls. There was even an upright piano in one corner. It was a warm place and it left Keith aching. It felt like a _home_.

Keith followed Lance into the kitchen, which was small and didn't leave much room for three grown men.

"Hey, Keith!" Hunk said with a smile as warm as the tray of blondies he was reaching for out of the oven.

"Hi, Hunk. Um, thanks for letting me spend the night," Keith said, scratching the back of his head.

"Of course, dude! Oh, and Lance told me you didn't have plans for Thanksgiving. You're totally welcome at my parents' place! Seriously, the more the merrier!" Hunk said. He placed the tray of blondies on the counter and searched for a knife among the cabinet drawers.

"You really don't have to-"

"Keith, you're going. I'm taking the choice away from you, yeesh," Lance said, rolling his eyes. He was leaning on the other side of the counter, supported by both elbows against the faux-granite. Hunk looked up from cutting his tray of blondies to smile at Keith.

"Yeah, man. Come," Hunk said and it was so sincere, that Keith caved.

"Okay, okay! I get it. I'll go to Thanksgiving." Keith said and the other boys grinned at him. Hunk grabbed a couple of plates from a cabinet and placed a blondie on each. He passed the plates to Keith and Lance.

"Blondies up! They're still pretty hot, so careful" Hunk said, a proud look coming over his features.

The smell coming from the blondie was intoxicating and Keith bit into it before it properly cooled down.

"Holy shit, man!" Keith exclaimed.

"What'd I tell ya?" Lance asked.

"Like, I might have gotten first-degree burns on my tongue, but _oh my god_ ," Keith said, his tongue throbbing in pain.

"Hey now, don't get any funny ideas. Hunk is _my_ wifey," Lance said crossing his arms, "I see you how you're looking at him"

"Oh, are you guys…?" Keith asked, slightly shocked.

"No, no. Lance just likes to say really misleading things," Hunk said with a sigh. Keith found himself oddly relieved, but couldn't account for what reason.

"What can I say? Part of my charm," Lance said, taking a massive bite out of his blondie, "On second thought, I'm about one blondie away from proposing to you _for real_ , because these are even better than your snickerdoodles"

Hunk's face lit up.

"What?! Really?! But my snickerdoodles are your fave!"

"Not anymore, dude. You've outdone yourself!"

Keith watched their friendly back-and-forth with a pang in his chest. He didn't know Hunk very well, but he could tell that he was caring and warm. Lance was too, in his way. It made Keith ache for the kind of connection they obviously shared. Keith wasn't that close with anyone.

Lance helped Hunk put away the Blondies in some Tupperware and then Hunk led Keith to a linen closet filled with towels, blankets, and extra pillows.

"Is the couch, okay?" Hunk asked.

"Totally, fine. Thanks," Keith said, while Hunk made his bed on the couch. Lance, who had disappeared into his room, came out with some fabric in his arm and tossed it Keith's way.

"Shirt if you want it," Lance said.

"Thanks," Keith said.

"Well, I'm off to bed. Keith, I left a toothbrush for you on the sink, it's red. The bathroom's right over there. Let me know if you need anything," Hunk said.

"Okay, thanks...again," Keith said, a little embarrassed by the number of thanks he had given that night.

"No worries! Night guys!" Hunk said and he disappeared into his room.

"Night!" Lance and Keith chimed back, the two of them alone again.

"So, hey, I was thinking tomorrow, Hunk and I could walk you to your dorm, y'know, just in case Douchey McDouche was still around. Not even that 'roided out mess would dare try something with Hunk around, not that Hunk isn't a total pacifist," Lance said.

"No, Lance, it's fine. You guys have done enough," Keith said and Lance rolled his eyes.

"Dude, _whatever_ , what is it? Like a ten minute walk? We'll live," Lance said. Keith, who was now growing very sleepy, as it was well past his bedtime, did not feel like arguing.

"Ugggh, Laaaance"

"Okay, okay, how about you buy us coffee on the way? Will that make you feel better?" Lance asked. Keith considered him a moment.

"Slightly"

"Alright, it's settled then. See you in the morning," Lance said, starting for his room.

"Lance, wait," Keith said and Lance turned back to face him again.

"What's up?"

"I just...um, thanks for everything tonight. It really, uh, meant a lot and I, y'know, I appreciate and stuff," Keith said. Lance stared at him and blinked.

"Um, yeah man, what are friends for?" Lance asked and Keith felt himself go pink again. Keith scratched the back of his head and Lance was looking away from him, "Alright, well, night"

" _Lance_ "

"What?"

"Your hand?"

"What?" Lance asked, he looked down at his hand and saw the angry red skin that was starting to turn into purpled welts, "Oh, crap!"

Lance ran to the kitchen and reappeared later with an ice pack over his knuckles.

"Nice save, Kogane," Lance said, heading to his room.

"What are friends for?" Keith whispered to himself once Lance closed the door behind him.

* * *

After throwing some water on his face, brushing his teeth, and changing, Keith found the living room's light switch and climbed into his couch-bed. He drew the warm blanket up to his neck and sighed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep, at least for a while. His head was too full of tall, Cuban boys punching bullies in his defense for him to sleep.

Keith sighed.

 _Why would he do that? Why would he go so far? That idiot kept me from punching Tommy myself and then two seconds later, he does it!_ Keith thought. Lance said it was because they had to look out for each other, but that didn't stop Keith's heart from beating wildly when he thought of the incident. It didn't help that Keith kept recalling specific details of the night: like the way Lance's face looked when he took Keith's hand, the way Lance's hand _felt_ , and the look on Lance's face when Keith inspected his injury.

Keith placed the butt of his palms over each of his eyes and softly groaned, then let his hands drop to his side. This line of thinking bothered him. Sure, Lance had defended him and all, but there was no reason to get into a state because of it. Still, his mind reeled.

" _What are friends for?"_

Keith couldn't help but let a small smile escape him at the memory of those words. Keith never had many friends. In fact, Pidge might have been his first. Keith usually preferred to be alone. It was just easier that way. Nobody went away if they weren't there in the first place.

Still, the idea of being friends with Lance (and maybe even Hunk, who Keith instantly liked) was a pleasant thought. He liked the idea of coming over and practicing with both of them and eating Hunk's cooking.

 _I'm getting way, way ahead of myself_ , Keith thought. Perhaps Lance didn't really mean they were _friend friends_ , just, like, acquaintance friends. Keith rolled over on the couch and curled into a small ball. He didn't want that. He wanted to be real friends, especially after their bonding moment.

Then, another memory, quite uninvited, sneaked up into the forefront of his mind.

" _Oh, I'm Bi," Lance said._

Keith felt blood rush to his cheeks.

 _Oh, no, no, no Brain! We are_ not _going there_ , Keith thought as he tossed and turned under the covers.

Eventually, after several minutes of panicked flailing, Keith dozed off into a content slumber.

* * *

 **AN:** And here it is! Chapter four! We're done with the homophobe arc and are about to enter HYPER-PINING MODE. I'm excited.

After writing this, I think I've finally decided on the Paladins' Hogwarts Houses:

Lance – Gryffindor af

Keith – Also Gryffindor, but he was also a hat stall

Shiro – Gryffindor, with Hufflepuff tendencies

Hunk – Hufflepuff to end all Hufflepuffs

Pidge – smol Slytherin

BONUS: Allura and Coran are Ravenclaws. Does this have anything to do with this fic? Nope, just wanted to talk about Paladin houses.

Next time: Thanksgiving and a proposition!


End file.
